Electric fan construction



July 27, 1965 s, KNAPP 3,197,129

ELECTRIC FAN CONSTRUCTION Filed July 25, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROBERT S. KNAPP ATTORNEYS July 27, 1965 R. s. KNAPP ELECTRIC FAN CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 23, 1962 INVENTOR. ROBERT S. KNAPP United States Patent 3,197,129 ELECTRIC FAN QQNSTRUCTION Robert S. Knapp, St. Louis, Mo, assignor to Knapp-Monarch Company, St. Louis, Man, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 23, 1962, Ser. No. 211,721 3 Ciaims. (Cl. 230-25?) This invention relates to a fan base construction which may readily be molded of plastic material or die-cast from metal.

One object of the invention is to provide a fan base which is in the form of a generally rectangular frame having an open center.

Another object is to provide a frame-like base having a rear, a front and a pair of side members, a fan supporting post extending upwardly from the rear member and slanting forwardly so that its upper end where the fan is mounted is substantially centered over the framelike base.

Still another object is to provide the supporting post, the rear frame member and at least one of the side rnembers of hollow construction so that wiring for the fan and for a control means for the fan may extend therethrough.

A further object is to provide the front member of the base also hollow, and to mount therein a control means for the fan, such control means having a control knob slidable laterally along the front frame member.

Still a further object is to provide the control means in the form of a slider type rheostat whereby a control knob for the slider may travel laterally along the front surface of the front member of the frame.

With these and other objects in view, may invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my fan base construction, whereby the objects above contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical central sectional view through a fan base construction embodying my invention and showing a fan mounted on the supporting post thereof;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the fan base construction.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 respectively of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 55 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a control unit assembly separated from the fan base construction.

On the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the rear member of a generally rectangular frame, 12 and 14 the side members thereof and 16 the front member thereof. A fan supporting post 18 extends upwardly and forwardly from the rear frame member 10 so that its upper end is substantially centered over the frame-like base lit-124.446. A fan motor 20 is supported on the post 18, being pivoted thereto at 22. The pivot 22 is in the form of a clamp screw so that the motor can be adjusted to various angles for directing air downwardly or upwardly as well as straight ahead in the usual manner. A fan blade 24 is mounted on the shaft of the motor 20 and is encased in a suitable fan blade guard 26.

The frame members 10, 12, 14 and 16 as well as the post 18 are hollow as shown on the drawings. These elements are all molded integrally with each other from plastic material, or may be die-cast of metal if desired. The bottom of each of the members 10, 12, 14 and 16 is open, and there are three cover plates shown generally at 28, 30 and 32 for the members 10, 1.4 and is respectively. The cover plate 28 is retained in position by a pair of screws 34, the cover plate 3t) is retained in position by a pair of screws 36, and the cover plate 32 is retained in position by a pair of screws 38. The cover plate 28 may have a keyhole slot 29 for wall mounting of the fan. The screws 38 extend through buttons 49 of rubber or the like which support the forward end of the base frame on a table top 44 or the like, and the rear frame member 10 is provided with a pair of inserted buttons 42 for supporting the rear end of the frame relative thereto.

Referring to FIG. 3 grommet 46 is shown through the side wall of the rear frame member 10, and FIG. 1 illustrates a grommet 43 through the side wall of the post 18. Currently supply wires extend into the base frame through the grommet 46 and then upwardly through the hollow post 18 and out of the grommet 48 as shown generally at 50. The base and post thus enclose the wires and make possible suitable connections to a control device which will now be described.

The cover plate 32 is shown per se in FIG. 6 and has mounted thereon control means for the fan 20 in the form of a slider type rheostat having a ceramic tube 52 supported by brackets 53 and having a pair of resistance ribbons 54 and 56 wound thereon and suitably covered with insulating material with the exception of exposed portions shown at the right side of the tube. A control knob 58 is slidable laterally along a front wall 62 of the front frame member 16 which front wall is formed by a flange of the cover plate 32 as shown in FIG. 1 and is provided with a slot on through which a control knob extension as extends. A slider spring 66 of leaf spring type is mounted on the extension 64 and is provided with a pair of carbon shoes 68 to slide along the exposed portions of the resistance ribbons 54 and 56. In the off position of the knob 58 these shoes contact the ceramic tube 52 rather than the resistance ribbons. Thus when the knob 53 is moved away from the off position it engages the shoes with upper ends of the resistance ribbons as shown in FIG. 6, and as the knob 58 is moved closer to the control wires '79 toward the hi position) less resistance wire is included in the circuit of the fan motor 26 thus increasing its speed. The resistance ribbons 54 and 5d are connected by the control wires 7i) to the wires 59 so that the rheostat is included in series in the circuit with the motor 2! in the usual manner, and the hollow member 14 and 16 of the base provide space for these wires to extend from the supporting post 18 to the control means within the front frame member 16.

In order to dissipate heat from the rheostat the cover plate 32 is provided with perforations '72, and the top of the front member 16 may be provided with slot-like perforations if desired as shown at 73 in FIG. 1. Th passage of air circulated thereover by the fan blade 24 produces a venturi effect for drawing air through the perforations 72 and around the tube 52 to discharge through the perforations 73.

The fan base construction disclosed, being in the form of an open center frame, provides a relatively large base area and at the same time relatively light construction can be used for the molding of which the base is formed. The forward slope of the supporting post 18 brings its upper supporting end in position for concentrating the weight of the fan above substantially the center of the base to provide stability for the fan during its operatioin.

By mounting the control for the fan in the front member of the base it is at a convenient point for operation, and by providing a slider type rheostat, a convenient form of control is had in which the control knob moves laterally across the front wall of the base. At the same time an economical construction is provided in the form of the cover plate 32 with the rheostat attached thereto as an assembly that can be readily mounted in poistion by means of a pair of screws, and the electrical Wiring connections readily made through the hollow side member 114 and in the hollow rear member 10 and the hollow post 18. All of these constructional features afford convenience and economy of assembly and eitect an over-all reduction in cost reduction in cost of production for a fan of the character disclosed.

Some changes may be made in the cons ruction and arrangement of the parts of my fan base construction without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may reasonably be included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fan construction of the type having a base frame, a support post extending upwardly from said base frame, a tan-motor assembly carried by said support post, and control means for operating said fan-motor assembly, the improvement comprising hollow members defining said base frame with an open central portion, said support post extending upwardly from one of said hollow members and sloping centrally of said base frame whereby said fanmotor assembly is positioned substantially above said central portion to provide stability for said fan construction, said control means being located within another of said hollow members and including a rheostat, said another hollow member having openings therein, and said fan-motor assembly being constructed to circulate air over said perforations so that air is drawn therethrough and past said rheostat to provide cooling therefor.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said support post is hollow, current carrying wires for said fan-motor assembly arranged to enter said base frame adjacent said support post, and to extend upwardly within said post, to pass outwardly from said post adjacent said fan-motor assembly and being connected therewith to operate said fanmotor assembly, the control means being spaced from the said one hollow member to which the support post connects, and some of said wires passing through other of said hollow members and being electrically connected to said control means.

3. In a fan construction of the type having a base frame, a support post extending upwardly from said base frame, a fan-motor assembly carried by said support post, and control means for operating said fan-motor assembly, the improvement comprising hollow front, rear, and side members defining a substantially rectangular base frame with an open central portion, said support post extending upwardly and forwardly from said rear member whereby said fan-motor assembly is positioned substantially above said central portion to provide stability for said fan construction, said front member receiving said control means therein, said control means including rheostat means, perforations in said front member, and said fan-motor assembly being constructed to circulate air over said perforations so that air is drawn therethrough and past said rheostat means to provide cooling therefor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,187,228 6/16 Asch 338181 1,313,258 8/19 Carmean et al 219-370 1,472,124 10/23 Howe et al 219370 1,515,731 11/24 Cole 219-368 1,528,300 3/25 Noonan 219-361 1,578,207 3/26 Pieper 230273 1,868,113 '7/32 Ljungstrom 230-273 X 1,945,010 1/34 Waterbury 230--273 2,303,553 12/42 Humphreys 230-273 2,722,594 11/55 ueser 219368 2,817,000 12/57 Scheid 219-370 3,059,090 10/62 Waters 219*368 RICHARD M. WGOD, Primary Examiner.

ANTHONY BARTIS, Examiner, 

1. IN A FAN CONSTRUCTION OF THE TYPE HAVING BASE FRAME, A SUPPORT POST EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BASE FRAME, A FAN-MOTOR ASSEMBLY CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORT POST, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID FAN-MOTOR ASSEMBLY, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING HOLLOW MEMBERS DEFINING SAID BASE FRAME WITH AN OPEN CENTRAL PORTION, SAID SUPPORT POST EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM ONE OF SAID HOLLOW MEMBERS AND SLOPING CENTRALLY OF SAID BASE FRAME WHEREBY SAID FANMOTOR ASSEMBLY IS POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE SAID CENTRAL PORTION TO PROVIDE STABILITY FOR SAID FAN CONSTRUCTION, SAID CONTROL MEANS BEING LOCATED WITHIN ANOTHER OF SAID HOLLOW MEMBERS AND INCLUDING A RHEOSTAT, SAID ANOTHER HOLLOW MEMBER HAVING OPENINGS THEREIN, AND SAID FAN-MOTOR ASSEMBLY BEING CONSTRUCTED TO CIRCULATE AIR OVER SAID PERFORATIONS SO THAT AIR IS DRAWN THERETHROUGH AND PAST SAID RHEOSTAT TO PROVIDE COOLING THEREFOR. 